How to Make Baked Macaroni and Cheese _ Casserole Recipes _ Allrecipes.com

All recipes member Jody shares this recipe for her simple and creamy baked homemade macaroni and cheese .

The recipe was originally given to her by her friend Katie who claims it is a long time favorite in her family to begin preheat the oven to 350 °F fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring it to a boil over high heat .

Stir 2.5 cups of macaroni and cook it uncovered , stirring occasionally until the pasta has cooked through but is still firm to the bite .

About eight minutes .

Drain it well and set it aside .

Now we'll make a crumb topping , pour one sleeve of crushed buttery round crackers into a medium bowl .

That's exactly 30 crackers drizzle the crumbs with a quarter cup of melted butter and stir well , set the crumb topping aside .

Now , time for the best part , the cheese sauce place a quarter cup of butter in a large sauce pan over medium high heat , add a quarter cup of flour and combine the two with a whisk making a quick roux .

Slowly whisk in four cups of milk .

We're using whole milk season it with half a teaspoon of salt whisk it constantly and bring it to a low boil about 10 minutes until the sauce thickens .

Then lower the heat to medium and slowly stir in £1 of shredded cheddar cheese .

You can use either mild or sharp cheddar , stir everything together until the cheese melts and the sauce thickens further .

Another 2 to 3 minutes add the cooked macaroni and stir it in until it's well combined .

Pour the macaroni and cheese into a nine by 13 inch baking dish then evenly scatter the crumb topping on top , bake the macaroni and cheese in the preheated oven until the top is golden brown .

About 45 minutes serve homemade macaroni and cheese hot from the oven .

All recipes member Katie who calls this dish delicious and flavorful says that she likes to Sprinkle the top with paprika and chopped parsley for a more colorful presentation .